Mobile gambling 'recession-proof' says Juniper

Analyst Juniper Research has predicted that mobile gambling wagers will more than double in 2009 to $3.6 billion.

What's more, Juniper reckons mobile gambling won't be as badly affected by the recession as mobile TV and mobile games - a controversial assertion to say the least.

"Gambling is essentially a recession-proof industry, as while there may be marginal reductions in the level of stakes amongst casual users, the overall appetite for gambling per se will be unaffected" says the report's author Dr Windsor Holden.

"Furthermore, with the growing availability of betting services on-portal, the mobile is an increasingly convenient and user-friendly means of placing a bet."

The report predicts that mobile betting will account for 75 per cent of all mobile gambling this year, with casino games the second largest category.

Meanwhile, Juniper says the UK will account for more than 30 per cent of bets placed on phones in 2008, although this will decline to 8 per cent by 2013.

By contrast Juniper predicted last month that mobile games revenues (i.e. non-gambling games) will rise from $5.4 billion in 2008 to more than $10 billion in 2013.